


What's a Soulmate?

by sansasnarks



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Free Will, M/M, Platonic Soulmates, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-11
Updated: 2016-05-11
Packaged: 2018-06-03 05:31:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6598708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sansasnarks/pseuds/sansasnarks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You live life in black and white until you meet your soulmate - Barry and Iris have been soulmates for years, but then Barry meets Cisco Ramon, who forces him to wonder - does he really need a soulmate? Flashvibe Week Day 3 AU - Soulmates</p>
            </blockquote>





	What's a Soulmate?

**Author's Note:**

> So this story will be based on the idea that you live life in black and white until you meet your soulmate, and I thought it'd be fun to see Barry and Cisco break the mold. There will be Iris/Barry in some parts of the story, but it's more friends-wise and of course, Flashvibe is the endgame, but I thought I should tell you all in advance. Hope you enjoy!

Barry Allen had always known who his soulmate was - Iris West: reporter, hero, and his best friend. 

He had known ever since he was in the sixth grade, when he had gone to a museum for a school trip and had spotted her all the way across the room, chatting excitedly with a friend. Barry's eyes had suddenly been opened, and the previously black and white museum finally showed itself to him, and he was assaulted with the blues, greens, yellows, reds. He had started crying right then and there, and his class had huddled around him, murmuring with concern. Iris had stopped talking and rushed over to Barry, sounding much older than she really was when she rubbed his back and asked him if he was all right.

Barry had looked up at her, his face lined with tears, and tried to get the words out. "You made me see all the colors," he choked out, and Iris blinked back her surprise. Barry had wondered how she had managed to be so calm, but as he would later come to know - Iris was exceptionally good at keeping a straight face when she was surprised. His teacher had walked up to Barry, but the second she heard his words, she stopped short and clapped, the excitement showing on his face. His classmates had clapped as well, a few happy that he had found his soulmate, but more clapping slowly and hesitantly - not that he had found his soulmate, Barry knew, but because he could see the colors now. They had all wanted to see the colors. 

Barry and Iris had hung out with one another days afterwards, and within a year Iris had transferred into his school. The two had become permanent figures in the other's households: Iris loved staying over at the Allens, where Nora would bake her cookies and give her advice and Henry would swoop the two children up and spin them around, the two shrieking with laughter. Barry loved the Wests as if they were a second family: he and Joe were immediately close, and Joe taught him how to fight (to Henry's distaste) and even suffered through Barry and Wally's science presentations to him and Francine. 

The two were happy, and when Barry proposed to Iris at age 24 on top of the Jitters rooftop, there was no other logical conclusion than to say yes. 

Until two months later when Barry Allen met Cisco Ramon. 

* * *

 Barry had been skimming through a comic store when he had met him. 

"Hm," Barry muttered, flipping through a comic. "The Flash." He scoffed and put the comic back on the stand.

Then a man, about the same age, had been next to him, and he had turned to Barry curiously. "Not a fan of the Flash?"

Barry smirked. "A guy who's superpower is that he can run really fast?  _Lame_." 

"Huh, all right," he had said. "So then tell me, who's your favorite?" 

"Superman," Barry said, a grin appearing on his face. "Superman is the best superhero of all time." 

"Oooh, wrong answer," the man said. "Batman is the cooler hero." 

"Oh  _hell_ no," Barry said, turning to face the man completely. "Superman is strong. And he can fly,  _and_ shoot lasers,  _and -_ " 

"Exactly!" the man interrupted. "He's no fun! Batman may not have any superpowers, but he's smart and talented, and he can easily hold up in a fight against Superman." 

Barry didn't even notice Iris walk up behind the two until he heard her laughter. "You know who's better than both of them?" she smiled, linking her arm with Barry's. "Wonder Woman." 

The two thought it over, and the man gave an appreciative smile at Iris. "You're right," he said, and pointed at her. "I like her." 

" _Her_ is called Iris," Iris said. "Iris West." 

"Well nice to meet you Iris," the man smiled. "Cisco Ramon." He turned his head to Barry then. "And you?" 

"Oh, right," Barry said apologetically. "Barry Allen." 

Iris gave Barry a smile and unlinked their arms. "Bare, we have that dinner party tonight, remember? I gotta go grab some food to bring to dad's house." 

"Right," Barry said, and he turned back to Cisco. "Hey man, it was nice meeting you." He grinned. "Even if you have an inferior taste in superheroes." 

"Oh really?" Cisco grinned back. "Well, we'll have to debate over that later, I guess." 

Barry's smile stretched even wider. "I guess I'll see you later then," and then he and Iris walked out the door. He saw Iris looking at him, an odd look on her face? "What's wrong, Iris?" he asked. 

"Nothing," Iris said, shaking her head and giving him a small smile. "I just...haven't seen you smiling that much in a while." 

"Huh," Barry shrugged. "Guess I've just been having a good day." 

Iris nodded and gave a smile, but Barry saw the odd look stay in her eyes. "I guess so." 

* * *

True to their words, Barry and Cisco had met again in the comic book store, and every day, they'd sit on the store's corner couch, debating about the different heroes. 

"All right, no, Storm is  _awesome_ , Cisco, how can you say that you don't like her?" 

"Oh, you mean Ms. "None-of-the-mutants-need-a-cure"? That's easy to say when you can change the weather, not so much when you can kill someone by touching them. Storm needs to get over herself. What _I_ don't understand is why you dislike Vibe." 

"His powers are geeky! He literally just dances around everywhere; his powers could be so much  _more_ than that! Now Killer Frost, that is a great character-" 

"Oh hell no, we are not getting into Ms. Elsa -" 

"But Cisco-" 

" _Barry_." 

Their conversations never ceased to interest Barry, and he looked forward to every day when he got off of work and stayed at the store, talking to Cisco for an hour or two before going home. Throughout their conversations, Barry kept learning more and more about Cisco - during a conversation about the Hulk and Captain America, Cisco had let it slip that he worked at Star Labs, which Barry had found amazing. Cisco loved Vibe because he had proper representation in a comic book for once (and Barry could't find it in him to call Vibe lame anymore). He even knew that Cisco had a soulmate. 

"I mean, listen, the Hulk movie was great and all, but that first Hulk looked  _awful_ ," Barry said, and Cisco was nodding his head in agreement. 

"Ugh, that green," Cisco said, his face turning up in disgust. "They couldn't have picked a better shade of green?" 

"I - wait," Barry paused. "You can see the colors?" 

"Yeah," Cisco shrugged. "Always could." 

" _Always?_ _"_ Barry gaped. "Bro, who's your person?" 

Cisco's lighthearted nature seemed to slip then, and he looked down. "I don't know. I've had it ever since I was a baby. I definitely didn't know what happened, and I wasn't old enough to talk so...I guess I've just been waiting for them to show up." 

"Oh, wow," Barry said, and he reached over and put his hand on Cisco's shoulder. "You'll find them," he smiled. 

Cisco's eyes searched Barry's face, letting the silence wash over them for a few more moments before he shot a grin at Barry. "Yeah," he said softly. "Definitely." 

* * *

Iris realized Barry was in love with Cisco before Barry ever did. She had been sitting on the couch, and Barry had gone to kiss her on the lips, but she had turned her face subtly and Barry found his lips connecting with her cheek instead. 

"Hey babe, what's up?" he asked. 

"Nothing," Iris said. "Sorry, I didn't even notice you were about to kiss me." 

Barry gave a small frown - this wasn't the first time it had happened. This had happened quite a few times as teenagers - Iris would get detached for a while and insist everything was fine, but it hadn't happened for years. Now, it seemed that the closer they got to their wedding, the more detached Iris was getting. Barry sat down next to her on the couch and gently grabbed her hand. "Hey, you know you can tell me anything, right?" he asked softly. "You're my best friend. You can always come to me." 

Iris looked over at him and smiled genuinely this time. "I know, Barry," she said. "That's something I'll always be sure of, that we're best friends." She squeezed his hand then. "And you know, if there's anything you want to tell  _me_ , I'm always going to be here." 

"Of course, Iris. Always." Barry smiled, glad that the two had talked. "So, how's work?" 

Iris's eyes flitted down, but she quickly regained her composure. "Oh, it's been all right," she said. "I've had to interview someone. Just for a fluff piece but it's very interesting. The man is named Ray Palmer, and he's very..." she searched for the words. "Bubbly. Very kind, though, and very sweet. He's a good man. He actually found his colors once, but his fiance died a few years later, isn't that horrible?" Iris asked. 

"It is," Barry nodded. 

"And yet," Iris said, a faraway look entering her eyes. "He told me that he still feels...love for other people. That he's fallen for other people, even after she died." She looked over at Barry, searching his eyes. "I always thought that once you found your soulmate, that was  _it_ _,_ you know? That you would live for them and that when one of you died, the other would always love them, never feel anything for anyone else. Isn't it amazing, that we're given soulmates but people can still find love?" 

Barry's mouth turned downward as he considered Iris's words. He had actually never thought about that before - everyone he had ever met had been so entranced in their soulmates. Out of nowhere, he thought about Cisco, not knowing who his soulmate then, and then Barry had felt it then, an odd stirring in his heart, a weird feeling rising up in his chest, and he didn't like it.  "Yeah," he said, trying to sound nonchalant. "It is amazing. I'm glad that  _we_ found each other, though." 

"Yeah," Iris said, so softly that Barry had to strain to hear her, and the two sat on the couch for the rest of the night, both a million miles from their couch. 

* * *

 Barry realized he was in love with Cisco when they were eating dinner at his apartment, just the two of them. Cisco had scooped some rice and beans onto Barry's plate, telling him about the crazy day he had at work. 

"So then, Caitlin tells me that Dr. Wells wants to rescue a gorilla from this guy named General Eiling. A _gorilla_."  

Barry started laughing. "No _way_." 

"Mmhmm," Cisco smiled, his cheeks all puffed out when he shoveled the food in. He swallowed and continued: "We now have - as Dr Wells named him - Grodd sitting in our basement, eating bananas. And, oddly enough, Big Belly Burger." 

"Dude, your job sounds awesome," Barry said, and he took a bite of the food. "Okay, and  _this_ is amazing." 

"Isn't it?" Cisco put his arms up in mock celebration. "I always said if I didn't want to go into science, I could have a promising career as a chef." 

Barry nodded and continued shoveling food in his mouth. "You could," he mumbled, the words barely recognizable with his full mouth. 

After dinner, the two had cleared off the dishes and moved to the sink, where Cisco washed and handed them off to Barry to dry. 

"So," Cisco said, passing a plate to Barry. "Wedding's coming up soon. You excited?" 

Barry looked lost in the plate, intent on drying it until Cisco cleared his throat and passed a second plate over to Barry. "Oh, uh - right," Barry cleared his throat and put the plate away and grabbed the other from Cisco's hand. "The wedding. Right. I'm...I'm excited." 

Cisco's eyebrows raised. "You don't  _sound_ excited." 

"I -no, I am," Barry frowned. "I - here, give me that bowl. Of  _course_ I'm excited. Iris and I have known that we're soulmates for years now. Why wouldn't I be? Everyone wants to have their soulmate." 

"You know," Cisco said casually. "I'm not really worried about finding my soulmate." 

"You're not?" Barry asked, pausing his drying. "I thought you'd be searching for your soulmate." 

Cisco shrugged. "I mean, I did, at first. Found a bunch of people who had helped others find  _their_ soulmates. Went to therapists, hypnotists, everyone. One lady had me try to do an activity to find out who my soulmate was. She said it worked for everyone." 

"Oh yeah?" Barry smirked. "I want to try. What was it?" 

Cisco snorted. "All right. Close your eyes." 

Barry smiled and closed his eyes. " _Hey_ bro, stop giggling, all right?" Cisco said, fake disciplining Barry. "This is  _serious_ stuff. Okay," he said, lowering his voice. "You're alone in your thoughts. You're sitting on a couch-" 

"What kind? Leather? Cloth? Old? New? I need  _specifics_ here, Cisco." 

"You're a  _child_ ," Cisco said, but Barry could hear the smile in his voice. "Leather, it's a leather couch. Now, you're turning, and you see the person you love most in the world right next to you. Your eyes light up, and you feel ecstatic, loved. They're the person you want to be with, the person you've chosen, the person who's going to be with you forever." 

Barry's smile faded as he imagined it. He was sitting on his couch, turning, but despite his efforts, he couldn't picture Iris. Instead, all he saw was Cisco sitting cross legged on the couch with a game controller in his hands. Barry desperately tried to push Iris into Cisco's place, but she'd be there for a second before Cisco replaced her. He opened his eyes quickly, and shot a quick grin at Cisco. "You're right," he laughed, hoping that Cisco wouldn't hear the nervousness in his voice. "That's pretty dumb." 

Cisco snorted. "You're telling me, dude. I'm glad I never found them though," Cisco said. "I was upset at first, but then I realized - I've lived my whole life without them and I'm _fine_. Nothing major has happened to me, I'm not like, empty without them. I'm glad I saw them as a baby - it's just  _freeing_ ," Cisco said. He glanced over at Barry, hesitating before he added the next line. "I feel like now I'm free to love...anyone." 

Barry gulped, and he put the dish down. "Hey, I just remembered, I promised Iris I would help her out with something," he stammered. 

Cisco's mouth turned downwards, and Barry mentally kicked himself for the crushed look on Cisco's face. He wanted to tell Cisco that it wasn't him, that he didn't do anything wrong, but Barry found himself instead making his way to the door. Cisco followed him, the look still in his eyes.

"Barry, did I-" he started, but Barry cut him off. 

"No, no, you didn't," Barry said. "I just - I just really have to help Iris with this thing," he said, backing out the doorway and tripping over the threshold. "I  - look hey, I'll call you later, all right?" He turned, ignoring Cisco's face, trying not to look back at Cisco, knowing that if he spared even a look back, he'd fall apart. 

* * *

When Barry got home, he found Iris curled up on the couch, tapping idly at her computer. She looked up briefly when he came in and flashed a small smile before her face turned serious again. "How was your dinner?" 

Barry shrugged, trying to remain nonchalant, but it only took one look from Iris for Barry to sigh and slump down into the couch next to her. "It was good, until I completely freaked out," Barry admitted. 

This got Iris's attention. "You did? What happened?" 

Barry hesitated, and Iris gave him another look. "Hey Barry, remember what you said earlier? We're best friends, we can tell each other anything."   
"I hate when you use my words against me," Barry sighed, but he couldn't help the small smile that formed anyway. It faded quickly, though, when he looked at Iris. How could he tell her? How could he have betrayed her like this? He wasn't supposed to fall for anyone else. It was Iris, and that was  _it_. Wasn't it? 

Iris was looking patiently at him, urging him to go on.

"I...I'm in love with...Cisco," Barry finished, and he could barely bring himself to look into Iris's eyes. "I know I shouldn't be, because we're soulmates, but I am, and I'm sorry, and I don't know how to stop it-"

"Barry." It wasn't a shocked statement but a neutral one, almost kind and comforting, Barry thought. "Hey, Barry, look at me." 

Barry looked back at Iris, who placed her hand on his cheek. "I understand. I feel the same way." 

He blinked. "You're in love with Cisco too?" 

Iris giggled. " _No,_ Barry." The smile was off her face. "I understand loving someone, even outside of soulmates." Iris looked nervous for the first time, and Barry put his arm around her, which naturally put her at ease. They were always able to do that, Barry thought in the back of his mind. They had always been able to see just what the other needed. Barry wondered if what this was, what Iris was about to tell him, was part of that as well. Iris relaxed, and was able to say, "I think I'm falling for my dad's partner. Eddie Thawne. And I've been trying to fight it for a long time, and I don't even know if I  _do_ love him, but...I feel something for him. And I just-" Iris broke off, not sure how to continue. 

"The soulmates thing," Barry stated, and Iris nodded.

"Barry, I do love you, but sometimes I wonder if I love you genuinely, or if I love you because we're soulmates." 

Barry's eyes went wide, and he enveloped Iris in a hug, who gave a small yelp of surprise before hugging him back. "Iris, that's what I've thought, I've just been scared to talk about it,"Barry said. "I thought I was  _horrible_ for loving someone else, but you're saying you're falling for someone too."

She broke the embrace then, and Barry saw a glint in Iris's eye, the same one that she got whenever she thought she had a good story. "This whole soulmates thing is just accepted as fact, you know? That we meet someone, our world fills with color, and that when they die, it reverts. No one falls in love with anyone else, and everyone has another person. But, what if we break that? If you and I both love other people, maybe there's more to this than we thought." 

Barry smiled at her. "I don't know about that," he admitted. "But I am glad that the universe let me be with someone as amazing as you." 

Iris smiled back. "Same." She paused, the gears in her head turning. "Hey, do you think we're best friend soulmates? As if we were meant to be together platonically?"

Barry considered it. "Huh," he said. "Maybe." He looked over at her. "So, what should we do?" 

Iris went silent, her eyes lowered before she looked up again, a determined look on her face. "How about we just do it?" she asked. "You be with Cisco, and I be with Eddie. Throw a finger at the universe, because  _we_ are the only ones who get to choose our own fate." 

Barry nodded, his smile growing larger as he nodded. "I'd like that." He scoffed. "Telling our parents is going to be  _awful_ , though." 

"They'll get over it," Iris said, and she gave Barry a poke. "In the meantime,  _you_ are going back to Cisco Ramon's house and telling him that you love him." 

"I-right now?" Barry blinked. 

"Right  _now,_ " Iris repeated, and she pointed at the door. 

Barry got up and stumbled towards the door, and before he left, he turned. "Hey Iris?" 

"Yeah?" Iris looked up. 

"I love you." 

Iris smiled at him. "I love you too. Now go to Cisco and tell him the same." 

* * *

Cisco sat in his living room and threw some popcorn in his mouth. "Yeah yeah yeah, you love Brad but he's in love with the snobby cheerleader," he muttered at the TV. "We all know how this is going to end, chill out Barbara." 

He sighed loudly when he heard the knock at the door. He wondered if it was Caitlin, telling him that they had to go in for a work emergency, or Ronnie wanting to hang out, or even Dr Wells coming to him with a new equation that he just  _had_ to tell someone about. Either way, Cisco wasn't having it. The only person he had been prepared to be at his apartment tonight was Barry, and Cisco had messed that up.  _Why did you have to tell him?_ the little voice in his mind whispered, even though the logical part of Cisco's brain knew that he _didn't_ tell Barry anything. He had started, and then Barry had freaked out and ran out the room.  _Still, you knew exactly what his answer would be, but you still pushed. Stupid stupid stupid._ Cisco hadn't known how to respond - he figured Barry wouldn't respond to his texts anyway, so Cisco coped how he knew best - watching and criticizing campy teen movies about love (side note: they always had  _awful_ color schemes). Whoever it was at the door, Cisco didn't want them there. He considered yelling at them to go away, but decided against it on the off chance that it was his landlord. Instead, Cisco yelled, "Who is it?" 

"Barry. I just want to talk to you." 

Cisco shut off the tv then and looked at the door, and slowly he stood up. He wondered if he should even go to the door, but then Barry let out a small "please" and Cisco found his legs moving without him even realizing it, and he opened the door to find Barry, still clad in the same clothes, leaning on the doorway. 

"Hey," Barry said, straightening up. 

"Hey," Cisco said crossly before he moved away, leaving the door open. 

"Can...can we sit?" Barry asked. 

"Sure," Cisco said, crossing his arms and plopping down on the couch. He didn't want to look at Barry, didn't want to see any pity on his face. 

"I'm sorry I freaked out earlier," Barry said. 

Cisco shrugged, still looking down. "No, you're good, I don't know what you're talking about anyway, man." 

"You were about to tell me you loved me, and I freaked out and ran away. And I'm sorry," Barry said, and Cisco uncrossed his arms and looked at Barry in surprise. He hadn't thought for a second that Barry would have said it. 

"No, it's...it's my fault," Cisco said, and after a brief hesitation, he put his hand on Barry's shoulder. "Listen, I know you found Iris, and I'm really glad for you. I thought there was something there, but I was wrong, okay? You're my best friend, Barry, and I would rather have that over anything. I know we can't..." he trailed off, unwilling to go there, but to his surprise, Barry filled in the blank. 

"But maybe we can," Barry said, and Cisco noticed that Barry seemed much more nervous. Barry tapped his fingers on the doorway as he added, "I talked to Iris, and we thought, why not just screw the idea of soulmates? I like  _you,_ and Iris wants to be with other people, so we thought that we should just...screw it. Do what we want." He looked at Cisco and the nervous drumming increased. "I mean, if you want to, obviously. Totally your choice, you could have changed your mind, and I know you have your own soulmate somewhere out there so..." 

"No, I mean - yeah," Cisco said, the smile overtaking his face. "I want this. I really do, but I want you to be sure of it too. Are you really sure? Because -"

He was interrupted with a quick and hard kiss to his lips and Barry's hands on his face, and Cisco found himself just leaning into the kiss when Barry broke off. "I'm sure," he smiled. 

"Well,  _as I was saying_ ," Cisco sputtered out, half-joking, half-rolling his eyes over the fact that Barry had just done the equivalent of every teen movie ever. "I um," he paused, trying to think of a word, and then grinned sheepishly. "Okay, no, I can't even go on with this man, I just want to kiss you again." 

"Well, that can be arranged," Barry said with a glint in his eye, and he moved in for another kiss. 

 

 


End file.
